Filters Lane in SoHo

The Place

Right on the fringes of Expat Central, Filters Lane is a boutique coffee joint located on busy Caine Road. The first thing you notice about this place is the huge roasting machine taking pride of place in the front window. Filters Lane regularly runs coffee appreciation and tasting sessions, as well as demonstrations of their roaster in action.

There is a modern feeling once you step through the front doors, the counter proudly displaying both beans and interesting looking coffee making paraphernalia. On the opposite wall, there are plenty of items for sale for the avid coffee junkie to get their daily fix at home.

There is plenty of seating inside too, with tables and chairs that resemble outdoor furniture on one side, and some high seats nearby. Funky house music plays through the hidden speaker system and with the air conditioner on full bore, Filters Lane makes a great respite from the heat of a Hong Kong summer.

The Equipment

The Beans

Green beans from Colombia and Brazil are sourced then roasted on premises to form a unique house blend. You can also get single origin beans from Honduras, Kenya and Asagi.

The Package

Our lattes were beautifully presented in cups that allowed for fairly traditional latte-art, with one of our coffees looking noticeably darker. There was a lovely strong aroma that was quite nutty. It was an interesting contrast to the quite fruity flavour that had a light body and mild acidity.

While the initial hints were floral in nature and a little sour, there as quite a strong burnt caramel aftertaste which lingered on the palate for some time. Whereas you normally like a little burnt flavour, especially when it’s well balanced, this was quite harsh and lacked the natural sweetness from the beans and milk. I also found the milk to be quite thin, with the Kowloon Dairy milk lacking the fat content of Meiji, which was quite noticeable.

My takeaway coffee was way too hot, the sweetness of the milk completely missing and I actually burnt my tongue with my first sip. Because of this, the balance that was found in the first coffees was missing and a sour, fruity flavour dominated. It tasted very burnt.